Notice of Solicitation of Applications for the Section 533 Housing Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year 2018, 29529-29539 [2018-13458]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 122 / Monday, June 25, 2018 / Notices
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throughout the United States. The fruits
and vegetables regulations allow the
importation of commercial shipments of
fresh longan with stems from Taiwan
into the United States. As a condition of
entry, the longan will be subject to cold
treatment and special port-of-arrival
inspection procedures for certain
quarantine pests.
Need and Use of the Information:
APHIS will use the following
information collection activities to
allow the import of commercial
shipment of fresh longan with stems
from Taiwan into the United States:
Phytosanitary Certificate, Inspection by
NPPOs in Taiwan, Stamping of Boxes
and Emergency Action Notification.
Failing to collect this information would
cripple APHIS ability to ensure that
longan from Taiwan are not carrying
plant pests.
Description of Respondents: Business
or other for-profits; Federal
Government.
Number of Respondents: 2.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting:
On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 33.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
Title: Importation of Fresh Pitaya
Fruit from Central America into the
Continental United States.
OMB Control Number: 0579–0378.
Summary of Collection: Under the
Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701–
7772), the Secretary of Agriculture is
authorized to carry out operations or
measures to detect, eradicate, suppress,
control, prevent, or retard the spread of
plant pests new to the United States or
not known to be widely distributed
throughout the United States. The
regulations ‘‘Subpart-Fruit and
Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56–1 through
319 56–71), prohibit or restrict the
importation of fruits and vegetables into
the United States from certain parts of
the world to prevent the introduction
and dissemination of plant pests that are
not widely distributed within the
United States. The Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
allows the importation of fresh pitaya
fruit from Central America into the
continental United States.
Need and Use of the Information: The
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service uses the following activities to
collect information: Production Site
Certification, Production Site
Registration, Review and Maintain
Documents, Registration of
Packinghouses, Packinghouse
Inspections and Investigations, Bilateral
Workplans, Records of Fruit Fly
Detections and Update Records,
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Shipping Documents Identifying the
Places of Production, Phytosanitary
Certificates with Additional
Declarations, Box Markings, Production
Site Training Program, Emergency
Action Notifications, and Notices of
Arrival. If the information is not
collected, APHIS’ ability to protect the
United States from plant pest would be
severely compromised.
Description of Respondents: Business
or other for-profit; Federal Government.
Number of Respondents: 66.
Frequency of Responses: Reporting,
Recordkeeping, Third-party disclosure:
On occasion.
Total Burden Hours: 1,289.
29529
[FR Doc. 2018–13551 Filed 6–22–18; 8:45 am]
provide sufficient time to permit
delivery on or before the closing
deadline date and time. Acceptance by
the United States Postal Service or
private mailer does not constitute
delivery. Facsimile (FAX) and postage
due applications will not be accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information, applicants may
contact Bonnie Edwards-Jackson,
Finance and Loan Analyst, MultiFamily Housing Preservation and Direct
Loan Division, USDA Rural
Development, STOP 0781, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20250–0781, telephone (202) 690–
0759 (voice) (this is not a toll-free
number) or (800) 877–8339 (TDDFederal Information Relay Service) or
via email at, bonnie.edwards@
wdc.usda.gov.
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Ruth Brown,
Departmental Information Collection
Clearance Officer.
Preface
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Housing Service
Notice of Solicitation of Applications
for the Section 533 Housing
Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year
2018
Rural Housing Service, USDA.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Rural Housing Service
(RHS), an Agency within Rural
Development, announces that it is
soliciting competitive applications
under its Housing Preservation Grant
(HPG) program. This action is taken to
comply with Agency regulations which
requires the Agency to announce the
opening and closing dates for receipt of
pre-applications for HPG funds from
eligible applicants.
The Agency has published the
amount of funding received in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018
(Pub. L. 115–141, March 23, 2018) on its
website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/
newsroom/notices-solicitationapplications-nosas. Expenses incurred
in developing applications will be at the
applicant’s risk.
DATES: The closing deadline for receipt
of all pre-applications in response to
this Notice is 5:00 p.m., local time for
each Rural Development State Office on
August 9, 2018 regardless of delivery
method (hand delivered, electronic,
mail, or a combination thereof). Rural
Development State Office locations can
be found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/
contact-us/state-offices. RHS will not
consider any application that is received
after the closing deadline. Applicants
intending to mail applications must
SUMMARY:
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The Agency encourages applications
that will help improve life in rural
America. See information on the
Interagency Task Force on Agriculture
and Rural Prosperity found at
www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity.
Applicants are encouraged to consider
projects that provide measurable results
in helping rural communities build
robust and sustainable economies
through strategic investments in
infrastructure, partnerships and
innovation. Key strategies include:
• Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural
America
• Developing the Rural Economy
• Harnessing Technological Innovation
• Supporting a Rural Workforce
• Improving Quality of Life
Overview
Federal Agency Name: USDA Rural
Housing Service.
Funding Opportunity Title: Housing
Preservation Grants.
Announcement Type: Notice.
Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance Number: 10.433.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The reporting requirements contained
in this Notice have been approved by
the Office of Management and Budget
under Control Number 0575–0115.
A. Program Description
The HPG program is a grant program,
authorized under 42 U.S.C. 1490m and
implemented at 7 CFR part 1944,
subpart N, which provides qualified
public agencies, private non-profit
organizations including, but not limited
to, Faith-Based and neighborhood
partnerships, and other eligible entities,
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grant funds to assist low- and very lowincome homeowners in repairing and
rehabilitating their homes in rural areas.
In addition, the HPG program assists
rental property owners and cooperative
housing complexes in rural areas in
repairing and rehabilitating their units if
they agree to make such units available
to low- and very low-income persons.
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B. Federal Award Information
The funding instrument for the HPG
program will be a grant agreement. The
term of the grant can vary from 1 to 2
years, depending on available funds and
demand. No maximum or minimum
grant levels have been established at the
National level. In accordance with 7
CFR 1944.652, coordination and
leveraging of funding for repair and
rehabilitation activities with housing
and community development
organizations or activities operating in
the same geographic area are expected,
but not required. You should contact the
Rural Development State Office to
determine the allocation. HPG
applicants who were previously
selected for HPG funds are eligible to
submit new applications to apply for
Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 HPG program
funds. New HPG applications must be
submitted for the renewal or
supplementation of existing HPG repair
and/or rehabilitation projects that will
be completed with FY 2018 HPG funds.
The amount of funding available for
the HPG program may be found at the
following link: https://www.rd.usda.gov/
programs-services/housingpreservation-grants. Priorities such as
Rural Economic Area Partnership Zones
and other funds will be distributed
under a formula allocation to states
pursuant to 7 CFR part 1940, subpart L,
‘‘Methodology and Formulas for
Allocation of Loan and Grant Program
Funds.’’ Decisions on funding will be
based on pre-application scores. Anyone
interested in submitting an application
for funding under this program is
encouraged to consult the Rural
Development website periodically for
updated information regarding the
status of funding authorized for this
program.
The commitment of program dollars
will be made to selected applicants that
have fulfilled the necessary
requirements for obligation.
C. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants. Eligible entities
for these competitively awarded grants
include State and local Governments,
non-profit corporations, which may
include, but not be limited to FaithBased and community organizations,
federally recognized Indian Tribes, and
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consortia of eligible entities. HPG
applicants who were previously
selected for HPG funds are eligible to
submit new applications to apply for FY
2018 HPG program funds. More
eligibility requirements can be found at
7 CFR 1944.658, 1944.661, and
1944.662.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Pursuant
to 7 CFR 1944.652, grantees are
expected to coordinate and leverage
funding for repair and rehabilitation
activities, as well as replacement
housing, with housing and community
development organizations or activities
operating in the same geographic area.
While HPG funds may be leveraged with
other resources, cost sharing or
matching is not a requirement for the
HPG applicant as the HPG applicant
would not be denied an award of HPG
funds if all other project selection
criteria have been met.
3. Other. Awards made under this
Notice are subject to the provisions
contained in the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. 115–
141, March 23, 2018) sections 745 and
746 regarding corporate felony
convictions and corporate Federal tax
delinquencies. To comply with these
provisions, only applicants that are or
propose to be corporations will submit
this form as part of their preapplication. Form AD–3030 can be
found here: https://www.ocio.usda.gov/
document/ad3030.
D. Application and Submission
Information
1. Address to Request Application
Package: Applicants wishing to submit
a paper application in response to this
Notice must contact the Rural
Development State Office serving the
State of the proposed HPG housing
project in order to receive further
information and copies of the paper
application package. You may find the
addresses and contact information for
each State Office following this web
link, https://www.rd.usda.gov/contactus/state-offices. Rural Development will
date and time stamp incoming paper
applications to evidence timely receipt
and, upon request, will provide the
applicant with a written
acknowledgment of receipt. You may
access the electronic grant preapplication for Housing Preservation
Grants at: https://www.grants.gov.
2. Content and Form of Application:
7 CFR part 1944, subpart N provides
details on what information must be
contained in the pre-application
package. Entities wishing to apply for
assistance should contact the Rural
Development State Office to receive
further information, the State allocation
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of funds, and copies of the preapplication package. Unless otherwise
noted, applicants wishing to apply for
assistance must make its statement of
activities available to the public for
comment. The applicant(s) must
announce the availability of its
statement of activities for review in a
newspaper of general circulation in the
project area and allow at least 15 days
for public comment. The start of this 15day period must occur no later than 16
days prior to the last day for acceptance
of pre-applications by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA)Rural Development. Federally
recognized Indian Tribes, pursuant to 7
CFR 1944.674, are exempt from the
requirement to consult with local
leaders including announcing the
availability of its statement of activities
for review in a newspaper.
All applicants will file an original and
two copies of Standard Form (SF) 424,
‘‘Application for Federal Assistance,’’
and supporting information with the
appropriate Rural Development State
Office. A pre-application package,
including SF–424, is available in any
Rural Development State Office. All preapplications shall be accompanied by
the following information which Rural
Development will use to determine the
applicant’s eligibility to undertake the
HPG program and to evaluate the preapplication under the project selection
criteria of 7 CFR 1944.679.
(a) A statement of activities proposed
by the applicant for its HPG program as
appropriate to the type of assistance the
applicant is proposing, including:
(1) A complete discussion of the type
of and conditions for financial
assistance for housing preservation,
including whether the request for
assistance is for a homeowner assistance
program, a rental property assistance
program, or a cooperative assistance
program;
(2) The process for selecting
recipients for HPG assistance,
determining housing preservation needs
of the dwelling, performing the
necessary work, and monitoring/
inspecting work performed;
(3) A description of the process for
coordinating with other public and
private organizations and programs that
provide assistance in rehabilitation of
historic properties in accordance with 7
CFR 1944.673;
(4) The development standard(s) the
applicant will use for the housing
preservation work; and, if not the Rural
Development standards for existing
dwellings, the evidence of its
acceptance by the jurisdiction where the
grant will be implemented;
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(5) The time schedule for completing
the program;
(6) The staffing required to complete
the program;
(7) The estimated number of very lowand low-income minority and
nonminority persons the grantee will
assist with HPG funds; and, if a rental
property or cooperative assistance
program, the number of units and the
term of restrictive covenants on their
use for very low- and low-income;
(8) The geographical area(s) to be
served by the HPG program;
(9) The annual estimated budget for
the program period based on the
financial needs to accomplish the
objectives outlined in the proposal. The
budget should include proposed direct
and indirect administrative costs, such
as personnel, fringe benefits, travel,
equipment, supplies, contracts, and
other cost categories, detailing those
costs for which the grantee proposes to
use the HPG grant separately from nonHPG resources, if any. The applicant
budget should also include a schedule
(with amounts) of how the applicant
proposes to draw HPG grant funds, i.e.,
monthly, quarterly, lump sum for
program activities, etc.;
(10) A copy of an indirect cost
proposal when the applicant has
another source of Federal funding in
addition to the Rural Development HPG
program;
(11) A brief description of the
accounting system to be used;
(12) The method of evaluation to be
used by the applicant to determine the
effectiveness of its program which
encompasses the requirements for
quarterly reports to Rural Development
in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.683(b)
and the monitoring plan for rental
properties and cooperatives (when
applicable) according to 7 CFR
1944.689;
(13) The source and estimated amount
of other financial resources to be
obtained and used by the applicant for
both HPG activities and housing
development and/or supporting
activities;
(14) The use of program income, if
any, and the tracking system used for
monitoring same;
(15) The applicant’s plan for
disposition of any security instruments
held by them as a result of its HPG
activities in the event of its loss of legal
status;
(16) Any other information necessary
to explain the proposed HPG program;
and
(17) The outreach efforts outlined in
7 CFR 1944.671(b).
(b) Complete information about the
applicant’s experience and capacity to
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carry out the objectives of the proposed
HPG program.
(c) Evidence of the applicant’s legal
existence, including, in the case of a
private non-profit organization, which
may include, but not be limited to,
Faith-Based and community
organizations, a copy of, or an accurate
reference to, the specific provisions of
State law under which the applicant is
organized; a certified copy of the
applicant’s Articles of Incorporation and
Bylaws or other evidence of corporate
existence; certificate of incorporation for
other than public bodies; evidence of
good standing from the State when the
corporation has been in existence 1 year
or more; and the names and addresses
of the applicant’s members, directors
and officers. If other organizations are
members of the applicant-organization,
or the applicant is a consortium, preapplications should be accompanied by
the names, addresses, and principal
purpose of the other organizations. If the
applicant is a consortium,
documentation showing compliance
with paragraph (4)(ii) under the
definition of ‘‘organization’’ in 7 CFR
1944.656 must also be included.
(d) For a private non-profit entity,
which may include, but not be limited
to, Faith-Based and community
organizations, the most recent audited
statement and a current financial
statement dated and signed by an
authorized officer of the entity showing
the amounts and specific nature of
assets and liabilities together with
information on the repayment schedule
and status of any debt(s) owed by the
applicant.
(e) A brief narrative statement which
includes information about the area to
be served and the need for improved
housing (including both percentage and
the actual number of both low-income
and low-income minority households
and substandard housing), the need for
the type of housing preservation
assistance being proposed, the
anticipated use of HPG resources for
historic properties, the method of
evaluation to be used by the applicant
in determining the effectiveness of its
efforts.
(f) A statement containing the
component for alleviating any
overcrowding as defined by 7 CFR
1944.656.
(g) A signed copy of the
documentation in accordance with 7
CFR 1944.673 (as a companion to (a)(3)
above);
(h) The applicant must submit written
statements and related correspondence
reflecting compliance with 7 CFR
1944.674(a) and (c) regarding
consultation with local Government
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leaders in the preparation of its program
and the consultation with local and
State Government pursuant to the
provisions of Executive Order 12372.
(i) The applicant is to make its
statement of activities available to the
public for comment prior to submission
to Rural Development pursuant to 7 CFR
1944.674(b). The application must
contain a description of how the
comments (if any were received) were
addressed.
(j) The applicant must submit an
original and one copy of Form RD 400–
1, ‘‘Equal Opportunity Agreement,’’ and
Form RD 400–4, ‘‘Assurance
Agreement,’’ in accordance with 7 CFR
1944.676.
Applicants should review 7 CFR part
1944, subpart N for a comprehensive list
of all application requirements.
3. Address unique entity identifier
and System for Award Management
(SAM): As part of the application, all
applicants, except for individuals or
agencies excepted under 2 CFR
25.110(d), must be: (1) Registered in the
System for Award Management (SAM);
(2) provide a valid unique entity
identifier in its applications; and (3)
maintain an active SAM registration
with current information at all times
during which it has an active Federal
award or application. An award may not
be made to the applicant until the
applicant has complied with the unique
entity identifier and SAM requirements.
4. Intergovernmental Review: The
HPG program is subject to the
provisions of Executive Order 12372,
which requires intergovernmental
consultation with State and local
officials.
5. Funding Restrictions: There are no
limits on proposed direct and indirect
costs. Expenses incurred in developing
pre-applications will be at the
applicant’s risk.
6. Other Submission Requirements:
To comply with the President’s
Management Agenda, USDA is
participating as a partner in the
Government-wide grants.gov site.
Housing Preservation Grants [Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance #10.433] is
one of the programs included at this
website. If you are an applicant under
the HPG program, you may submit your
pre-application to the Agency in either
electronic or paper format. Please be
mindful that the pre-application
deadline for electronic format differs
from the deadline for paper format. The
electronic format deadline will be based
on Eastern Standard Time. The paper
format deadline is local time for each
Rural Development State Office.
Users of Grants.gov will be able to
download a copy of the pre-application
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package, complete it off line, and then
upload and submit the application via
the Grants.gov site. You may not email
an electronic copy of a grant preapplication to USDA Rural
Development; however, the Agency
encourages your participation in
Grants.gov.
The following are useful tips and
instructions on how to use the website:
• When you enter the Grants.gov site,
you will find information about
submitting an application electronically
through the site as well as the hours of
operation. USDA-Rural Development
strongly recommends that you do not
wait until the application deadline date
to begin the application process through
Grants.gov. To use Grants.gov,
applicants must have a DUNS number.
• You may submit all documents
electronically through the website,
including all information typically
included on the Application for
Housing Preservation Grants, and all
necessary assurances and certifications.
• After you electronically submit
your application through the website,
you will receive an automatic
acknowledgement from Grants.gov that
contains a Grants.gov tracking number.
• RHS may request that you provide
original signatures on forms at a later
date.
• If you experience technical
difficulties on the closing date and are
unable to meet the 5:00 p.m. (Eastern
Standard Time) deadline, print out your
application and submit it to your State
Office, you must meet the closing date
and local time deadline.
• Please note that you must locate the
downloadable application package for
this program by the CFDA Number or
FedGrants Funding Opportunity
Number, which can be found at https://
www.grants.gov.
In addition to the electronic preapplication at the https://www.grants.gov
website, all applicants must complete
and submit the FY 2018 pre-application
package, detailed later in this Notice, for
the Section 533 HPG program. A copy
of a suggested coversheet is included
with this Notice. Applicants are
encouraged to submit this preapplication coversheet electronically by
accessing the website: https://
www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/
housing-preservation-grants. Click on
the Forms & Resources tab to access the
‘‘FY 2018 Pre-application for Section
533 Housing Preservation Grants
(HPG).’’
Applicants are encouraged, but not
required, to also provide an electronic
copy of all hard copy forms and
documents submitted in the preapplication/application package as
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requested by this Notice. The forms and
documents must be submitted as readonly Adobe Acrobat PDF files on an
electronic media such as CDs, DVDs or
USB drives. For each electronic device
that you submit, you must include a
Table of Contents listing all of the
documents and forms on that device.
The electronic medium must be
submitted to the local Rural
Development State Office where the
project will be located.
Please Note: If you receive a loan or
grant award under this Notice, USDA
reserves the right to post all information
that is not protected by the Privacy Act
submitted as part of the pre-application/
application package on a public website
with free and open access to any
member of the public.
E. Application Review Information
1. Criteria. All paper applications for
Section 533 HPG funds must be filed
with the appropriate Rural Development
State Office and all paper or electronic
applications must meet the
requirements of this Notice and 7 CFR
part 1944, subpart N. Pre-applications
determined not eligible and/or not
meeting the selection criteria will be
notified by the Rural Development State
Office.
2. Review and Selection Process. The
Rural Development State Offices will
utilize the following threshold project
selection criteria for applicants in
accordance with 7 CFR 1944.679:
(a) Providing a financially feasible
program of housing preservation
assistance. ‘‘Financially feasible’’ is
defined as proposed assistance which
will be affordable to the intended
recipient or result in affordable housing
for very low- and low-income persons.
(b) Serving eligible rural areas with a
concentration of substandard housing
for households with very low- and lowincome.
(c) Being an eligible applicant as
defined in 7 CFR 1944.658.
(d) Meeting the requirements of
consultation and public comment in
accordance with 7 CFR 1944.674.
(e) Submitting a complete preapplication as outlined in 7 CFR
1944.676.
3. Scoring. For applicants meeting all
of the requirements listed above, the
Rural Development State Offices will
use weighted criteria in accordance with
7 CFR part 1944, subpart N as selection
for the grant recipients. Each preapplication and its accompanying
statement of activities will be evaluated
and, based solely on the information
contained in the pre-application, the
applicant’s proposal will be numerically
rated on each criteria within the range
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provided. The highest-ranking
applicant(s) will be selected based on
allocation of funds available to the
State.
(a) Points are awarded based on the
percentage of very low-income persons
that the applicant proposes to assist,
using the following scale:
(1) More than 80%: 20 points
(2) 61% to 80%: 15 points
(3) 41% to 60%: 10 points
(4) 20% to 40%: 5 points
(5) Less than 20%: 0 points
(b) The applicant’s proposal may be
expected to result in the following
percentage of HPG fund use (excluding
administrative costs) to total cost of unit
preservation. This percentage reflects
maximum repair or rehabilitation with
the least possible HPG funds due to
leveraging, innovative financial
assistance, owner’s contribution or other
specified approaches. Points are
awarded based on the following
percentage of HPG funds (excluding
administrative costs) to total funds:
(1) 50% or less: 20 points
(2) 51% to 65%: 15 points
(3) 66% to 80%: 10 points
(4) 81% to 95%: 5 points
(5) 96% to 100%: 0 points
(c) The applicant has demonstrated its
administrative capacity in assisting very
low- and low-income persons to obtain
adequate housing based on the
following:
(1) The organization or a member of
its staff has at least one or more years’
experience successfully managing and
operating a rehabilitation or
weatherization type program: 10 points.
(2) The organization or a member of
its staff has at least one or more years’
experience successfully managing and
operating a program assisting very lowand low-income persons obtain housing
assistance: 10 points.
(3) If the organization has
administered grant programs, there are
no outstanding or unresolved audit or
investigative findings which might
impair carrying out the proposal: 10
points.
(d) The proposed program will be
undertaken entirely in rural areas
outside Metropolitan Statistical Areas,
also known as MSAs, identified by
Rural Development as having
populations below 10,000 or in remote
parts of other rural areas (i.e., rural areas
contained in MSAs with less than 5,000
population) as defined in 7 CFR
1944.656: 10 points.
(e) The program will use less than 20
percent of HPG funds for administration
purposes:
(1) More than 20%: Not eligible
(2) 20%: 0 points
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(3) 19%: 1 point
(4) 18%: 2 points
(5) 17%: 3 points
(6) 16%: 4 points
(7) 15% or less: 5 points
(f) The proposed program contains a
component for alleviating overcrowding
as defined in 7 CFR 1944.656: 5 points.
In the event more than one preapplication receives the same amount of
points, those pre-applications will then
be ranked based on the actual
percentage figure used for determining
the points. Further, in the event that
pre-applications are still tied, then those
pre-applications still tied will be ranked
based on the percentage for HPG fund
use (low to high). Further, for
applications where assistance to rental
properties or cooperatives is proposed,
those still tied will be further ranked
based on the number of years the units
are available for occupancy under the
program (a minimum of 5 years is
required). For this part, ranking will be
based from most to least number of
years.
Finally, if there is still a tie, then a
lottery system will be used. After the
award selections are made, all
applicants will be notified of the status
of their applications by mail.
F. Federal Award Administration
Information
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1. Federal Award Notices. The Agency
will notify, in writing, applicants whose
pre-applications have been selected for
funding. At the time of notification, the
Agency will advise the applicant what
further information and documentation
is required along with a timeline for
submitting the additional information. If
the Agency determines it is unable to
select the application for funding, the
applicant will be so informed in writing.
Such notification will include the
reasons the applicant was not selected.
The Agency will advise applicants,
whose pre-applications did not meet
eligibility and/or selection criteria, of
their review rights or appeal rights in
accordance with 7 CFR 1944.682.
2. Administrative and National Policy
Requirements. Rural Development is
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encouraging applications for projects
that will support rural areas with
persistent poverty. This emphasis will
support Rural Development’s mission of
improving the quality of life for Rural
Americans and commitment to directing
resources to those who most need them.
3. Reporting. Post-award reporting
requirements can be found in the Grant
Agreement.
G. Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil
rights law and U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) civil rights
regulations and policies, the USDA, its
Agencies, offices, and employees and
institutions participating in or
administering USDA programs are
prohibited from discrimination based on
race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
gender identity, (including gender
expression), sexual orientation,
disability, age, marital status, family/
parental status, income derived from a
public assistance program, political
beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior
civil rights activity, in any program or
activity conducted or funded by USDA
(not all bases apply to all programs).
Remedies and complaint filing
deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means of communication for
program information (e.g., Braille, large
print, audiotape, American Sign
Language, etc.) should contact the
responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET
Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and
TTY) or contact USDA through the
Federal Relay Service at (800) 877–8339.
Additionally, program information may
be made available in languages other
than English.
To file a program discrimination
complaint, complete the USDA Program
Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF),
found online at https://
www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_
cust.html, and at any USDA office or
write a letter addressed to USDA and
provide in the letter all of the
information requested in the form. To
request a copy of the complaint form,
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29533
call (866) 632–9992. Submit your
completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) Mail: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
DC 20250–9410;
(2) Fax: (202) 690–7442; or
(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity
provider, employer, and lender.
Dated: June 18, 2018.
Joel C. Baxley,
Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
Fiscal Year 2018 Pre-Application for
Section 533 Housing Preservation
Grants (HPG) Instructions
Applicants are encouraged; but not
required, to submit this pre-application
form electronically by accessing the
website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/
programs-services/housingpreservation-grants. Click on the Forms
& Resources tab to access the ‘‘Fiscal
Year 2018 Pre-Application for Section
533 Housing Preservation Grants
(HPG).’’ Please note that electronic
submittals are not on a secured website.
If you do not wish to submit the form
electronically by clicking on the Send
Form button, you may still fill out the
form, print it and submit it with your
application package to the State Office.
You also have the option to save the
form, and submit it on an electronic
media to the State Office.
Supporting documentation required
by this pre-application may be attached
to the email generated when you click
the Send Form button to submit the
form. However, if the attachments are
too numerous or large in size, the email
box will not be able to accept them. In
that case, submit the supporting
documentation for this pre-application
to the State Office with your complete
application package under item IX.
Documents Submitted, indicate the
supporting documents that you are
submitting either with the preapplication or to the State Office.
BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P
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I.
Applicant Information
a.
Applicant's Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
b.
Applicant's Address:
Address, Line 1: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Address, Line 2: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - City: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Zip:
State:
c.
Name of Applicant's Contact Person: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
d.
Contact Person's Telephone Number:
e.
Contact Person's E-Mail Address:
f.
Entity Type: D State Government
(Check One) D Non-Profit Corporation
D Local Government
D Federally Recognized Indian
Tribes
D Faith-Based and neighborhood partnership
D Community Organization
D Other consortia of an eligible entity
II.
Project Information
a.
Project Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
b.
Project Address:
Address, Line 1: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Address, Line 2: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - City: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ State:
Zip: _ _ __
c.
Organization DUNS Number:
d.
Grant Amount Requested: $_ _ _ _ _ __
e.
This grant request is for one of the following types of assistance:
D Homeowner assistance program
D Rental property assistance program
D Cooperative assistance program
In response to e. above, answer one of the following:
The number of low- and very low-income persons that the grantee will assist in
the Homeowner assistance program: _ _ _ _ OR
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f.
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29535
The number of units for low- and very low-income persons in the Rental property
or Cooperative assistance program:
g.
This proposal is for one of the following:
D Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) program (no set-aside)
D Set-Aide for grant located in a Rural Economic Area Partnership (REAP)
Zone
III.
Low-Income Assistance
Check the percentage of very low-income persons that this pre-application
proposes to assist in relation to the total population of the project:
D More than 80 percent (20 points)
D 61 percent to 80 percent (15 points)
D 41 percent to 60 percent ( 10 points)
D 20 percent to 40 percent ( 5 points)
D Less than 20 percent (0 points)
Points:
IV.
Percent ofHPG Fund Use
Check the percentage ofHPG fund use (excluding administrative costs) in
comparison to the total cost of unit preservation. This percentage reflects maximum
repair or rehabilitation results with the least possible HPG funds due to leveraging,
innovative financial assistance, owner's contribution or other specified approaches.
D 50 percent or less ofHPG funds (20 points)
D 51 percent to 65 percent ofHPG funds (15 points)
D 66 percent to 80 percent ofHPG funds (10 points)
D 81 percent to 95 percent ofHPG funds (5 points)
D 96 percent to 100 percent ofHPG funds (0 points)
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Points:
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V.
Administrative Capacity
The following three criteria demonstrate your administrative capacity to assist very lowand low-income persons to obtain adequate housing (30 points maximum).
a.
Does this organization or a member of its staff have at least one or more
years of experience successfully managing and operating a rehabilitation or
weatherization type of program? (10 points) Yes _
b.
No _
Points: __
Does this organization or a member of its staff have at least one or more
years of experience successfully managing and operating a program assisting very lowor low-income persons obtain housing assistance? (1 0 points) Yes
No
Points:
c.
If this organization has administered grant programs, are there any
outstanding or unresolved audit or investigative findings which might impair carrying out
the proposal? (10 points for No) No _
Yes
Points:
If Yes, please explain:
VI.
Area Served
Will this proposal be undertaken entirely in rural areas outside Metropolitan
Statistical Areas, also known as MSAs, and identified by Rural Development as having
populations below 10,000 or in remote parts of other rural areas (i.e., rural areas
contained in MSAs with a population of less than 5,000) as defined in 7CFR 1944.656?
(10 points)
Yes
VII.
Points:
No
Percent of HPG Funds for Administration
Check the percentage ofHPG funds that will be used for Administration
D More than 20 percent (Not eligible)
D 20 percent (0 points)
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purposes:
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29537
D 19 percent (1 point)
D 18 percent (2 points)
D 17 percent (3 points)
D 16 percent (4 points)
D 15 percent or 1ess ( 5 points)
Points:
VIII. Alleviating Overcrowding
Does the proposed program contain a component for alleviating overcrowding as
defined in 7 CFR 1944.656? (5 points) Yes _
IX.
No
Points:
Persistent Poverty Counties
Persistent Poverty Counties. Points will be awarded to projects located in
persistent poverty counties. The USDA's Economic Research Service (ERS)
(https://ers.usda.govl) is the main source of economic information and research for
USDA and a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System located in
Washington, D.C. ERS has defined counties as being persistently poor if20
percent or more of their populations were living in poverty over the last 30 years
(measured by the 1990, 2000 and 2010 decennial censuses and 2007-2011
American Community Survey 5-year estimates): (20 points)
Yes
X.
No
Points:
Documents Submitted
Check if the following documents are being submitted electronically with this
pre-application or will be mailed to the State Office with your complete pre-application
package.
NOTE: You are only required to submit supporting documents for programs in
which you will be participating as indicated in this pre-application. Points will be
assigned for the items that you checked based on a review of the supporting documents.
required to submit with your complete pre-application package.
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Please refer to the NOSA for the complete list of documents that you are
29538
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Submitted With
This Pre-
Item
Reference
Submitted to
State Office
Application
I.
Applicant Information
II.
Project Information
III.
Low-Income Assistance
IV.
Percent of HPG Fund Use
v.
Administrative Capacity
VI.
Area Served
VII.
Percent of HPG Funds for
Administration
VIII.
IX.
B.
Alleviating Overcrowding
Persistent Poverty County
HPG 2018 Scoring
PLEASE NOTE: The scoring below is based on the responses that you have
provided on this pre-application form and may not accord with the final score that the
Agency assigns upon evaluating the supporting documentation that you submit. Your
score may change from what you see here if the supporting documentation does not
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adequately support your answer or, if required documentation is missing.
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BILLING CODE 3410–XV–C
ARCHITECTURAL AND
TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS
COMPLIANCE BOARD
Meetings
Architectural and
Transportation Barriers Compliance
Board.
ACTION: Notice of meetings.
AGENCY:
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The Architectural and
Transportation Barriers Compliance
Board (Access Board) plans to hold its
regular committee and Board meetings
in Washington, DC, Monday through
Wednesday, July 9–11, 2018 at the times
and location listed below.
DATES: The schedule of events is as
follows:
SUMMARY:
Monday, July 9, 2018
11:00 a.m.–Noon—Technical Programs
Committee
1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.—Ad Hoc
Committee on Design Guidance
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2:30 p.m.–4:00 p.m.—Ad Hoc
Committee on Frontier Issues
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.—Planning and
Evaluation Committee
10:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.—Budget
Committee
1:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m.—Board Meeting
ADDRESSES: Meetings will be held at the
Access Board Conference Room, 1331 F
Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC
20004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information regarding the
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[FR Doc. 2018–13458 Filed 6–22–18; 8:45 am]
29539
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 122 (Monday, June 25, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29529-29539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-13458]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Housing Service
Notice of Solicitation of Applications for the Section 533
Housing Preservation Grants for Fiscal Year 2018
AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service (RHS), an Agency within Rural
Development, announces that it is soliciting competitive applications
under its Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) program. This action is
taken to comply with Agency regulations which requires the Agency to
announce the opening and closing dates for receipt of pre-applications
for HPG funds from eligible applicants.
The Agency has published the amount of funding received in the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub. L. 115-141, March 23, 2018)
on its website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/newsroom/notices-solicitation-applications-nosas. Expenses incurred in developing
applications will be at the applicant's risk.
DATES: The closing deadline for receipt of all pre-applications in
response to this Notice is 5:00 p.m., local time for each Rural
Development State Office on August 9, 2018 regardless of delivery
method (hand delivered, electronic, mail, or a combination thereof).
Rural Development State Office locations can be found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. RHS will not consider any
application that is received after the closing deadline. Applicants
intending to mail applications must provide sufficient time to permit
delivery on or before the closing deadline date and time. Acceptance by
the United States Postal Service or private mailer does not constitute
delivery. Facsimile (FAX) and postage due applications will not be
accepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, applicants
may contact Bonnie Edwards-Jackson, Finance and Loan Analyst, Multi-
Family Housing Preservation and Direct Loan Division, USDA Rural
Development, STOP 0781, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC
20250-0781, telephone (202) 690-0759 (voice) (this is not a toll-free
number) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD-Federal Information Relay Service) or
via email at, [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Preface
The Agency encourages applications that will help improve life in
rural America. See information on the Interagency Task Force on
Agriculture and Rural Prosperity found at www.usda.gov/ruralprosperity.
Applicants are encouraged to consider projects that provide measurable
results in helping rural communities build robust and sustainable
economies through strategic investments in infrastructure, partnerships
and innovation. Key strategies include:
Achieving e-Connectivity for Rural America
Developing the Rural Economy
Harnessing Technological Innovation
Supporting a Rural Workforce
Improving Quality of Life
Overview
Federal Agency Name: USDA Rural Housing Service.
Funding Opportunity Title: Housing Preservation Grants.
Announcement Type: Notice.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number: 10.433.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The reporting requirements contained in this Notice have been
approved by the Office of Management and Budget under Control Number
0575-0115.
A. Program Description
The HPG program is a grant program, authorized under 42 U.S.C.
1490m and implemented at 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N, which provides
qualified public agencies, private non-profit organizations including,
but not limited to, Faith-Based and neighborhood partnerships, and
other eligible entities,
[[Page 29530]]
grant funds to assist low- and very low-income homeowners in repairing
and rehabilitating their homes in rural areas. In addition, the HPG
program assists rental property owners and cooperative housing
complexes in rural areas in repairing and rehabilitating their units if
they agree to make such units available to low- and very low-income
persons.
B. Federal Award Information
The funding instrument for the HPG program will be a grant
agreement. The term of the grant can vary from 1 to 2 years, depending
on available funds and demand. No maximum or minimum grant levels have
been established at the National level. In accordance with 7 CFR
1944.652, coordination and leveraging of funding for repair and
rehabilitation activities with housing and community development
organizations or activities operating in the same geographic area are
expected, but not required. You should contact the Rural Development
State Office to determine the allocation. HPG applicants who were
previously selected for HPG funds are eligible to submit new
applications to apply for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 HPG program funds. New
HPG applications must be submitted for the renewal or supplementation
of existing HPG repair and/or rehabilitation projects that will be
completed with FY 2018 HPG funds.
The amount of funding available for the HPG program may be found at
the following link: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/housing-preservation-grants. Priorities such as Rural Economic Area Partnership
Zones and other funds will be distributed under a formula allocation to
states pursuant to 7 CFR part 1940, subpart L, ``Methodology and
Formulas for Allocation of Loan and Grant Program Funds.'' Decisions on
funding will be based on pre-application scores. Anyone interested in
submitting an application for funding under this program is encouraged
to consult the Rural Development website periodically for updated
information regarding the status of funding authorized for this
program.
The commitment of program dollars will be made to selected
applicants that have fulfilled the necessary requirements for
obligation.
C. Eligibility Information
1. Eligible Applicants. Eligible entities for these competitively
awarded grants include State and local Governments, non-profit
corporations, which may include, but not be limited to Faith-Based and
community organizations, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and
consortia of eligible entities. HPG applicants who were previously
selected for HPG funds are eligible to submit new applications to apply
for FY 2018 HPG program funds. More eligibility requirements can be
found at 7 CFR 1944.658, 1944.661, and 1944.662.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching. Pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.652, grantees
are expected to coordinate and leverage funding for repair and
rehabilitation activities, as well as replacement housing, with housing
and community development organizations or activities operating in the
same geographic area. While HPG funds may be leveraged with other
resources, cost sharing or matching is not a requirement for the HPG
applicant as the HPG applicant would not be denied an award of HPG
funds if all other project selection criteria have been met.
3. Other. Awards made under this Notice are subject to the
provisions contained in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Pub.
L. 115-141, March 23, 2018) sections 745 and 746 regarding corporate
felony convictions and corporate Federal tax delinquencies. To comply
with these provisions, only applicants that are or propose to be
corporations will submit this form as part of their pre-application.
Form AD-3030 can be found here: https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad3030.
D. Application and Submission Information
1. Address to Request Application Package: Applicants wishing to
submit a paper application in response to this Notice must contact the
Rural Development State Office serving the State of the proposed HPG
housing project in order to receive further information and copies of
the paper application package. You may find the addresses and contact
information for each State Office following this web link, https://www.rd.usda.gov/contact-us/state-offices. Rural Development will date
and time stamp incoming paper applications to evidence timely receipt
and, upon request, will provide the applicant with a written
acknowledgment of receipt. You may access the electronic grant pre-
application for Housing Preservation Grants at: https://www.grants.gov.
2. Content and Form of Application: 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N
provides details on what information must be contained in the pre-
application package. Entities wishing to apply for assistance should
contact the Rural Development State Office to receive further
information, the State allocation of funds, and copies of the pre-
application package. Unless otherwise noted, applicants wishing to
apply for assistance must make its statement of activities available to
the public for comment. The applicant(s) must announce the availability
of its statement of activities for review in a newspaper of general
circulation in the project area and allow at least 15 days for public
comment. The start of this 15-day period must occur no later than 16
days prior to the last day for acceptance of pre-applications by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Rural Development. Federally
recognized Indian Tribes, pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.674, are exempt from
the requirement to consult with local leaders including announcing the
availability of its statement of activities for review in a newspaper.
All applicants will file an original and two copies of Standard
Form (SF) 424, ``Application for Federal Assistance,'' and supporting
information with the appropriate Rural Development State Office. A pre-
application package, including SF-424, is available in any Rural
Development State Office. All pre-applications shall be accompanied by
the following information which Rural Development will use to determine
the applicant's eligibility to undertake the HPG program and to
evaluate the pre-application under the project selection criteria of 7
CFR 1944.679.
(a) A statement of activities proposed by the applicant for its HPG
program as appropriate to the type of assistance the applicant is
proposing, including:
(1) A complete discussion of the type of and conditions for
financial assistance for housing preservation, including whether the
request for assistance is for a homeowner assistance program, a rental
property assistance program, or a cooperative assistance program;
(2) The process for selecting recipients for HPG assistance,
determining housing preservation needs of the dwelling, performing the
necessary work, and monitoring/inspecting work performed;
(3) A description of the process for coordinating with other public
and private organizations and programs that provide assistance in
rehabilitation of historic properties in accordance with 7 CFR
1944.673;
(4) The development standard(s) the applicant will use for the
housing preservation work; and, if not the Rural Development standards
for existing dwellings, the evidence of its acceptance by the
jurisdiction where the grant will be implemented;
[[Page 29531]]
(5) The time schedule for completing the program;
(6) The staffing required to complete the program;
(7) The estimated number of very low- and low-income minority and
nonminority persons the grantee will assist with HPG funds; and, if a
rental property or cooperative assistance program, the number of units
and the term of restrictive covenants on their use for very low- and
low-income;
(8) The geographical area(s) to be served by the HPG program;
(9) The annual estimated budget for the program period based on the
financial needs to accomplish the objectives outlined in the proposal.
The budget should include proposed direct and indirect administrative
costs, such as personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies,
contracts, and other cost categories, detailing those costs for which
the grantee proposes to use the HPG grant separately from non-HPG
resources, if any. The applicant budget should also include a schedule
(with amounts) of how the applicant proposes to draw HPG grant funds,
i.e., monthly, quarterly, lump sum for program activities, etc.;
(10) A copy of an indirect cost proposal when the applicant has
another source of Federal funding in addition to the Rural Development
HPG program;
(11) A brief description of the accounting system to be used;
(12) The method of evaluation to be used by the applicant to
determine the effectiveness of its program which encompasses the
requirements for quarterly reports to Rural Development in accordance
with 7 CFR 1944.683(b) and the monitoring plan for rental properties
and cooperatives (when applicable) according to 7 CFR 1944.689;
(13) The source and estimated amount of other financial resources
to be obtained and used by the applicant for both HPG activities and
housing development and/or supporting activities;
(14) The use of program income, if any, and the tracking system
used for monitoring same;
(15) The applicant's plan for disposition of any security
instruments held by them as a result of its HPG activities in the event
of its loss of legal status;
(16) Any other information necessary to explain the proposed HPG
program; and
(17) The outreach efforts outlined in 7 CFR 1944.671(b).
(b) Complete information about the applicant's experience and
capacity to carry out the objectives of the proposed HPG program.
(c) Evidence of the applicant's legal existence, including, in the
case of a private non-profit organization, which may include, but not
be limited to, Faith-Based and community organizations, a copy of, or
an accurate reference to, the specific provisions of State law under
which the applicant is organized; a certified copy of the applicant's
Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws or other evidence of corporate
existence; certificate of incorporation for other than public bodies;
evidence of good standing from the State when the corporation has been
in existence 1 year or more; and the names and addresses of the
applicant's members, directors and officers. If other organizations are
members of the applicant-organization, or the applicant is a
consortium, pre-applications should be accompanied by the names,
addresses, and principal purpose of the other organizations. If the
applicant is a consortium, documentation showing compliance with
paragraph (4)(ii) under the definition of ``organization'' in 7 CFR
1944.656 must also be included.
(d) For a private non-profit entity, which may include, but not be
limited to, Faith-Based and community organizations, the most recent
audited statement and a current financial statement dated and signed by
an authorized officer of the entity showing the amounts and specific
nature of assets and liabilities together with information on the
repayment schedule and status of any debt(s) owed by the applicant.
(e) A brief narrative statement which includes information about
the area to be served and the need for improved housing (including both
percentage and the actual number of both low-income and low-income
minority households and substandard housing), the need for the type of
housing preservation assistance being proposed, the anticipated use of
HPG resources for historic properties, the method of evaluation to be
used by the applicant in determining the effectiveness of its efforts.
(f) A statement containing the component for alleviating any
overcrowding as defined by 7 CFR 1944.656.
(g) A signed copy of the documentation in accordance with 7 CFR
1944.673 (as a companion to (a)(3) above);
(h) The applicant must submit written statements and related
correspondence reflecting compliance with 7 CFR 1944.674(a) and (c)
regarding consultation with local Government leaders in the preparation
of its program and the consultation with local and State Government
pursuant to the provisions of Executive Order 12372.
(i) The applicant is to make its statement of activities available
to the public for comment prior to submission to Rural Development
pursuant to 7 CFR 1944.674(b). The application must contain a
description of how the comments (if any were received) were addressed.
(j) The applicant must submit an original and one copy of Form RD
400-1, ``Equal Opportunity Agreement,'' and Form RD 400-4, ``Assurance
Agreement,'' in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.676.
Applicants should review 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N for a
comprehensive list of all application requirements.
3. Address unique entity identifier and System for Award Management
(SAM): As part of the application, all applicants, except for
individuals or agencies excepted under 2 CFR 25.110(d), must be: (1)
Registered in the System for Award Management (SAM); (2) provide a
valid unique entity identifier in its applications; and (3) maintain an
active SAM registration with current information at all times during
which it has an active Federal award or application. An award may not
be made to the applicant until the applicant has complied with the
unique entity identifier and SAM requirements.
4. Intergovernmental Review: The HPG program is subject to the
provisions of Executive Order 12372, which requires intergovernmental
consultation with State and local officials.
5. Funding Restrictions: There are no limits on proposed direct and
indirect costs. Expenses incurred in developing pre-applications will
be at the applicant's risk.
6. Other Submission Requirements: To comply with the President's
Management Agenda, USDA is participating as a partner in the
Government-wide grants.gov site. Housing Preservation Grants [Catalog
of Federal Domestic Assistance #10.433] is one of the programs included
at this website. If you are an applicant under the HPG program, you may
submit your pre-application to the Agency in either electronic or paper
format. Please be mindful that the pre-application deadline for
electronic format differs from the deadline for paper format. The
electronic format deadline will be based on Eastern Standard Time. The
paper format deadline is local time for each Rural Development State
Office.
Users of Grants.gov will be able to download a copy of the pre-
application
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package, complete it off line, and then upload and submit the
application via the Grants.gov site. You may not email an electronic
copy of a grant pre-application to USDA Rural Development; however, the
Agency encourages your participation in Grants.gov.
The following are useful tips and instructions on how to use the
website:
When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find
information about submitting an application electronically through the
site as well as the hours of operation. USDA-Rural Development strongly
recommends that you do not wait until the application deadline date to
begin the application process through Grants.gov. To use Grants.gov,
applicants must have a DUNS number.
You may submit all documents electronically through the
website, including all information typically included on the
Application for Housing Preservation Grants, and all necessary
assurances and certifications.
After you electronically submit your application through
the website, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement from
Grants.gov that contains a Grants.gov tracking number.
RHS may request that you provide original signatures on
forms at a later date.
If you experience technical difficulties on the closing
date and are unable to meet the 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)
deadline, print out your application and submit it to your State
Office, you must meet the closing date and local time deadline.
Please note that you must locate the downloadable
application package for this program by the CFDA Number or FedGrants
Funding Opportunity Number, which can be found at https://www.grants.gov.
In addition to the electronic pre-application at the https://www.grants.gov website, all applicants must complete and submit the FY
2018 pre-application package, detailed later in this Notice, for the
Section 533 HPG program. A copy of a suggested coversheet is included
with this Notice. Applicants are encouraged to submit this pre-
application coversheet electronically by accessing the website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/housing-preservation-grants. Click on
the Forms & Resources tab to access the ``FY 2018 Pre-application for
Section 533 Housing Preservation Grants (HPG).''
Applicants are encouraged, but not required, to also provide an
electronic copy of all hard copy forms and documents submitted in the
pre-application/application package as requested by this Notice. The
forms and documents must be submitted as read-only Adobe Acrobat PDF
files on an electronic media such as CDs, DVDs or USB drives. For each
electronic device that you submit, you must include a Table of Contents
listing all of the documents and forms on that device. The electronic
medium must be submitted to the local Rural Development State Office
where the project will be located.
Please Note: If you receive a loan or grant award under this
Notice, USDA reserves the right to post all information that is not
protected by the Privacy Act submitted as part of the pre-application/
application package on a public website with free and open access to
any member of the public.
E. Application Review Information
1. Criteria. All paper applications for Section 533 HPG funds must
be filed with the appropriate Rural Development State Office and all
paper or electronic applications must meet the requirements of this
Notice and 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N. Pre-applications determined not
eligible and/or not meeting the selection criteria will be notified by
the Rural Development State Office.
2. Review and Selection Process. The Rural Development State
Offices will utilize the following threshold project selection criteria
for applicants in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.679:
(a) Providing a financially feasible program of housing
preservation assistance. ``Financially feasible'' is defined as
proposed assistance which will be affordable to the intended recipient
or result in affordable housing for very low- and low-income persons.
(b) Serving eligible rural areas with a concentration of
substandard housing for households with very low- and low-income.
(c) Being an eligible applicant as defined in 7 CFR 1944.658.
(d) Meeting the requirements of consultation and public comment in
accordance with 7 CFR 1944.674.
(e) Submitting a complete pre-application as outlined in 7 CFR
1944.676.
3. Scoring. For applicants meeting all of the requirements listed
above, the Rural Development State Offices will use weighted criteria
in accordance with 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N as selection for the
grant recipients. Each pre-application and its accompanying statement
of activities will be evaluated and, based solely on the information
contained in the pre-application, the applicant's proposal will be
numerically rated on each criteria within the range provided. The
highest-ranking applicant(s) will be selected based on allocation of
funds available to the State.
(a) Points are awarded based on the percentage of very low-income
persons that the applicant proposes to assist, using the following
scale:
(1) More than 80%: 20 points
(2) 61% to 80%: 15 points
(3) 41% to 60%: 10 points
(4) 20% to 40%: 5 points
(5) Less than 20%: 0 points
(b) The applicant's proposal may be expected to result in the
following percentage of HPG fund use (excluding administrative costs)
to total cost of unit preservation. This percentage reflects maximum
repair or rehabilitation with the least possible HPG funds due to
leveraging, innovative financial assistance, owner's contribution or
other specified approaches. Points are awarded based on the following
percentage of HPG funds (excluding administrative costs) to total
funds:
(1) 50% or less: 20 points
(2) 51% to 65%: 15 points
(3) 66% to 80%: 10 points
(4) 81% to 95%: 5 points
(5) 96% to 100%: 0 points
(c) The applicant has demonstrated its administrative capacity in
assisting very low- and low-income persons to obtain adequate housing
based on the following:
(1) The organization or a member of its staff has at least one or
more years' experience successfully managing and operating a
rehabilitation or weatherization type program: 10 points.
(2) The organization or a member of its staff has at least one or
more years' experience successfully managing and operating a program
assisting very low- and low-income persons obtain housing assistance:
10 points.
(3) If the organization has administered grant programs, there are
no outstanding or unresolved audit or investigative findings which
might impair carrying out the proposal: 10 points.
(d) The proposed program will be undertaken entirely in rural areas
outside Metropolitan Statistical Areas, also known as MSAs, identified
by Rural Development as having populations below 10,000 or in remote
parts of other rural areas (i.e., rural areas contained in MSAs with
less than 5,000 population) as defined in 7 CFR 1944.656: 10 points.
(e) The program will use less than 20 percent of HPG funds for
administration purposes:
(1) More than 20%: Not eligible
(2) 20%: 0 points
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(3) 19%: 1 point
(4) 18%: 2 points
(5) 17%: 3 points
(6) 16%: 4 points
(7) 15% or less: 5 points
(f) The proposed program contains a component for alleviating
overcrowding as defined in 7 CFR 1944.656: 5 points.
In the event more than one pre-application receives the same amount
of points, those pre-applications will then be ranked based on the
actual percentage figure used for determining the points. Further, in
the event that pre-applications are still tied, then those pre-
applications still tied will be ranked based on the percentage for HPG
fund use (low to high). Further, for applications where assistance to
rental properties or cooperatives is proposed, those still tied will be
further ranked based on the number of years the units are available for
occupancy under the program (a minimum of 5 years is required). For
this part, ranking will be based from most to least number of years.
Finally, if there is still a tie, then a lottery system will be
used. After the award selections are made, all applicants will be
notified of the status of their applications by mail.
F. Federal Award Administration Information
1. Federal Award Notices. The Agency will notify, in writing,
applicants whose pre-applications have been selected for funding. At
the time of notification, the Agency will advise the applicant what
further information and documentation is required along with a timeline
for submitting the additional information. If the Agency determines it
is unable to select the application for funding, the applicant will be
so informed in writing. Such notification will include the reasons the
applicant was not selected. The Agency will advise applicants, whose
pre-applications did not meet eligibility and/or selection criteria, of
their review rights or appeal rights in accordance with 7 CFR 1944.682.
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements. Rural
Development is encouraging applications for projects that will support
rural areas with persistent poverty. This emphasis will support Rural
Development's mission of improving the quality of life for Rural
Americans and commitment to directing resources to those who most need
them.
3. Reporting. Post-award reporting requirements can be found in the
Grant Agreement.
G. Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its
Agencies, offices, and employees and institutions participating in or
administering USDA programs are prohibited from discrimination based on
race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity,
(including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age,
marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public
assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for
prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or
funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and
complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of
communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible
Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or
contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
Additionally, program information may be made available in languages
other than English.
To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA
Program Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), found online at https://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office or
write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the
information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint
form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA
by:
(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC
20250-9410;
(2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) Email: [email protected].
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Dated: June 18, 2018.
Joel C. Baxley,
Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
Fiscal Year 2018 Pre-Application for Section 533 Housing Preservation
Grants (HPG) Instructions
Applicants are encouraged; but not required, to submit this pre-
application form electronically by accessing the website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/housing-preservation-grants. Click on
the Forms & Resources tab to access the ``Fiscal Year 2018 Pre-
Application for Section 533 Housing Preservation Grants (HPG).'' Please
note that electronic submittals are not on a secured website. If you do
not wish to submit the form electronically by clicking on the Send Form
button, you may still fill out the form, print it and submit it with
your application package to the State Office. You also have the option
to save the form, and submit it on an electronic media to the State
Office.
Supporting documentation required by this pre-application may be
attached to the email generated when you click the Send Form button to
submit the form. However, if the attachments are too numerous or large
in size, the email box will not be able to accept them. In that case,
submit the supporting documentation for this pre-application to the
State Office with your complete application package under item IX.
Documents Submitted, indicate the supporting documents that you are
submitting either with the pre-application or to the State Office.
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[FR Doc. 2018-13458 Filed 6-22-18; 8:45 am]
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